Top 7 Gluten-Free Late-Night Spots to Enjoy in Cleveland Heights

Helen Sun

Zhug oozes warmth and class, and is probably my favorite of Doug Katz's restaurant ventures. Like his other recent restaurants, it's best enjoyed as a tapas adventure with friends. Unlike his other ventures, they unfortunately are too cool for reservations. There's usually a couple spots open at the bar for the taking, but come with any more than 4 people and your wait on a busy night may be upwards of an hour. If you're lucky, you can find street parking in front on Cedar (free since COVID days), or park in the old Dave's grocery lot across the street (also free). The dim lighting allows candlelight, plush pillows, and verdant greenery to dominate the atmosphere. The staff are entirely the opposite of the standoffish lot you might imagine would work here - every person we've encountered has been friendly and incredibly accommodating. Also accommodating is the menu, which is vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan friendly. Although they do have high chairs and children are welcome, it's not an ideal place to bring little rowdy ones since there's quite a bit of glassware and candles, not to mention tight quarters. Two gender-neutral bathrooms are located at the back and kept in orderly condition. Be prepared to get lost in the sauce, because there are a lot of sauces and dips. A satisfying order usually consists of about 2-3 dishes per person. The usual culprits on our group's order are the Nigella Seed and Burnt Onion Hummus - paired with the complimentary pita bread, and a little dollop of their complimentary zhug (a spicy green Yemeni sauce), this provides a cozy foundation for your stomach as you await the rest of the food. Cauliflower, Roasted Carrots, and Potato Tostones are other delightful, textured bites to get your fiber in and fill up. Protein wise, I'm a huge fan of the Crispy Chicken and its brightly seasoned dipping sauce, as well as the Warm White Beans (more pleasurable than the plain name would suggest) and plump Butter Roasted Shrimp. Their wine and cocktail menu is tastefully curated, but I've actually never made it to the desserts since we're usually so stuffed after the savory dishes.

Gordon Hammerle

What a great find! Lovely patio, terrific food choices (including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free), exemplary service (from Yoshi), and outstanding beverages. What more could you ask for?

Patricia Wendland

Ashly Pittman

Price Garrison

I know that my overall rating is a bit harder than the breakdown, but that's because I'm writing about my experience as a Celiac. The menu is fully marked with what is gluten free and what is not. You fill out a ticket for your order and then the waiter takes that to the kitchen. I wrote on mine: "Celiac!!! Need to avoid cross contamination! Thank you!" and confirmed with the waiter. The food took over 45 minutes to come. The taco tortillas looked pale (though I know white corn exists) so I asked my friend with identical looking tacos and she had ordered flour. The waitress then confirmed the error and offered to remake the order, but at this point we were in danger of running late for a wedding and I didn't trust the kitchen to avoid cross contamination if they couldn't avoid big errors like this. What food did come, my friends said wasn't very good. Extremely heavy on rice/grits. Extremely light on anything else.

Jeffery Nelson

Pinky

It was our first order from cilantro taqueria on May 30, 2025 @0833pm. I've heard that this place is better than chipotle. So I mentioned that I want a gluten free order. This guy doesn't understand what I'm trying to say. So I typed GLUTEN FREE ALLERGY on my phone. But he seems like he never heard of this allergy before. So I requested him to change his gloves because he just prepared someone's order with flour tortilla. He changed his glove but looks likr irritated. After serving the rice and meat he was talking to his workmates in a different language while looking at me. Probably wondering why I asked to change his glove. Ignorance will harm or could kill someone. If you work in a food industry you should learn different allergens. Educate your workers so they know what they are serving. I did not even ask him of what are the gluten free options. I simply asked him to change gloves because I want to order a gluten free meal. I told my husband that this will be our first and last order here. They offer gluten free options on their website but it seems like people working in their restaurant are not educated enough.